When it comes to the Southeast Asia smartphone market, Apple continued to be resilient in the face of economic uncertainty and the limited consequences of rising inflation on its affluent customer base, reports Canalys.
And with the timely launch of its SE series and the popularity of its iPhone 13 series, Apple maintained dominance in the premium price segment, the research group adds. Despite this the iPhone maker still doesn’t rank in the top five list of smartphone sales in Southeast Asia. They are Samsung, OPPO, Xiaomi, vice, and realms.
In quarter two of 2022, Southeast Asian smartphone shipments reached 24.5 million units, a 7% drop from the previous quarter. Canalys says that consumer confidence has been severely hit by growing inflation and vendors are struggling to keep devices affordable in price-sensitive markets.
The five largest markets in the region stalled this quarter as a result of the industry experiencing significant macroeconomic headwinds and the resulting strain on local consumer demand. Despite Ramadan season festivities for Malaysia and Indonesia, both countries saw smaller-than-expected sequential growth of 6% and 2% respectively.
The Philippines market grew 4% versus the previous quarter due to increased spending during its elections. Thailand though was hit by severe forex depreciation against the US dollar and saw a 14% quarter-on-quarter decline. Meanwhile, Vietnam saw a 20% decline due to growing consumer uncertainty.
